The following notice was sent to all Humber Students on Thursday, March 19.
Dear Humber students,
We know that the rapidly changing COVID-19 situation has been challenging and a source of stress for you and your fellow students. Humber is monitoring the changes closely as the health, well-being and safety of our campus community is always our top priority.
We have made some important decisions that I want to share with you.
When academic delivery resumes on Monday, March 23, all Humber classes will be offered remotely/online until the end of the Winter 2020 semester on Friday, April, 17. Students will not need to return to campus for the remainder of the Winter 2020 semester.
We know that this isn’t the way that any of us expected the semester to end. As your safety and academic success are of paramount importance, we believe completing the Winter 2020 semester in this manner is the best option.
We will make every effort to ensure that you complete your studies successfully, and are supported along the way. We are working to ensure that students in the final semester of their programs will be able to meet graduation requirements in order to graduate on time.
Any critical learning outcomes requiring lab access will be addressed in one or more of the following ways:
- they will be delivered through faculty-led online learning, including video tutorials;
- they will occur in subsequent semesters;
- they will be delivered through other appropriate means.
Regardless of any changes to delivery format, you will be granted the same credit value for completing your program based on the assessment of required learning outcomes.
All students will receive an academic completion plan by end of day on Friday, March 20, 2020. Completion plans are being created by your professors, and will include information about the content to be covered in your courses and any changes to assessments. They will identify how you will be required to complete outstanding course requirements for this semester. If you do not have access to the technology required to complete your studies, you should contact your program coordinator.
The academic completion plans will also include information related to the completion of work-integrated-learning. If you have any questions about the work-integrated-learning content outlined in your plan, you should contact your placement advisor.
In addition to your forthcoming academic completion plans, we also have a number of academic support services to help you with your studies. Please visit the Student Services Update tab at www.humber.ca/updates for a full list of services and their availability in the coming weeks. All key updates will continue to be posted on the main updates page.
We have also created a Student Learning Kit to provide help with Blackboard, other online tools and tips for online learning. There is also information on how you can connect with Open Learning Centre staff for support by email or phone. The Kit can be found at http://bit.ly/humberslkit.
Please note the following:
- Existing online classes will continue to be offered as scheduled.
- There are a limited number of programs in which students may be required to come to campus during the Spring/Summer semester to complete mandatory lab components. This information will be included in your academic completion plan.
- For Apprenticeship programs, Ontario colleges continue to have discussions with the Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development. We will provide information on the plans for the in-class portion of these programs as soon as possible.
As you know, campuses are closed indefinitely and we are significantly limiting the number of people on campus to only those providing onsite essential services. We recognize there may be specific circumstances that require students to pick up personal items from campus (i.e. those kept in lockers). If you absolutely must retrieve any items from campus, you must do so by Friday, March 27th at 5:00 p.m.
Students must first contact Public Safety by email at publicsafety@humber.ca or call 416.675.8500 to make pick-up arrangements. You will receive direction on which entrance to access and you should be prepared to be asked some initial screening questions by security and to provide picture identification. If you do not contact Public Safety, you will not be able to access campus.
We know that you may have questions about refunds for services, such as parking, or planned field trips that now won’t occur.Updates regarding refunds for these kinds of items will be forthcoming as we continue to assess the operational impact of the COVID-19 situation and receive guidance from the Ministry of Colleges and Universities.
While this is an unprecedented situation, Humber has dedicated and experienced faculty and support staff who can respond to the varying needs of our students. Our immediate focus is on ensuring that each of you has the opportunity to complete your Winter 2020 courses. We are Humber and we are committed to your success.
Sincerely,
Laurie Rancourt
Senior Vice-President, Academic